How China upends a country’s entire car market
China’s electric vehicle companies are making inroads in Thailand, a key industry hub, as Europe and the United States wield tariffs to keep them out.
A visitor testing the GAC Aion’s Hyper HT electric vehicle at the Aion EV factory in Rayong, Thailand. The New York Times
Bangkok | Ma Haiyang and eight of his colleagues arrived in Thailand a year ago to establish the first overseas operation for GAC Aion, an electric vehicle maker from China. They had no office, no factory, no local employees and, basically, no clue.
The Aion team set up shop in a Bangkok hotel, commandeering conference rooms and holding meetings in the lobby. They had a long list of things to do: Find office space, recruit dealers and devise a business strategy. The team worked around the clock and, 74 days after arriving in Thailand, sold its first electric vehicle.
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